A diesel hammer is a pile driver having a housing and a ram. The ram is forced up by diesel combustion and falls within the housing to impact a pile and drive the pile into the earth. Conventionally, a support system supports the diesel hammer above the pile as the ram is driving the pile such that the driving force is applied along the axis of the pile. As the diesel hammer drives the pile, the support system interacts with a guide system that guides the diesel hammer such that a housing thereof moves with the pile along the pile axis.
Support systems for the diesel hammer come in a variety of configurations. Conventionally, the guide system for the diesel hammer is modified to adapt to a particular diesel hammer to a particular configuration of support system.
The need exists for a guide systems and methods for diesel hammers that may be easily reconfigured to allow a particular support system to accommodate a particular diesel hammer.